Pastor says 'Harry Potter' unfit for kids because of one gay character—Professor Dumbledore
Some Christians have issues with J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books and movies because they involve witchcraft and wizardry, but preacher Kevin Swanson's beef with Rowling's work involves a different matter entirely—homosexuality.
To be more specific, Swanson does not think the highly popular series is acceptable for children to read or watch because one of its main characters—Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore—turns out to be gay, as admitted by Rowling herself.
While speaking at the National Religious Liberties Conference, Swanson spoke at length about the dangers of homosexuality, the Independent UK reported.
"Friends, we are on the very cusp of judgment as I see it. We need to call America to repent. Repentance from defying the Almighty. Repentance of abortion, the hundreds of millions of dead bodies, I don't know how many," he said.
Out of the blue, he began to talk about Rowling's books. "America, repent of 'Harry Potter.' Repent that Dumbledore emerged as a homosexual mentor for Harry Potter," he said.
Swanson also expressed his distrust of the animated film "How to Train Your Dragon," which also has a homosexual character named Hiccup.
"Children are raised to be stumbled by the Dumbledores and Hiccups on 'How to Train Your Dragon,'" he said. "My friends, America needs to repent."
Swanson then raised eyebrows when he said that "for tens of millions of parents it would be better that a millstone be hung around their neck and they be drowned at the bottom of the sea" than to have their children learn about these homosexual characters.
This is not the first time Swanson made outrageous claims against animated films. Back in March 2014, he dismissed Disney's hit film "Frozen" as "very evil" gay propaganda.
"You wonder sometimes if maybe there's something very evil happening here," he said. "I wonder if people are thinking: 'You know I think this cute little movie is going to indoctrinate my 5-year-old to be a lesbian or treat homosexuality or bestiality in a light sort of way.'"